


A Frightening Affair

by StarscreamSimp



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, haha starscream go zoom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26383021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarscreamSimp/pseuds/StarscreamSimp
Summary: Megatron had a realization after a particularly brutal beating with his Air Commander.
Relationships: Megatron/Starscream (Transformers)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	A Frightening Affair

**Author's Note:**

> a mix of g1 / prime because why not. 
> 
> love me megastar

Starscream’s shrieks rattled the halls of the nemesis, soon followed by a loud, echoing clash. Cowering against the wall, he reached his servos up to protect his helm.

“P-please, my Lord-“ he begged, being sharply cut off with a cry as the tyrant wrapped his claws around his wing tips, raising the Seeker up to his optic level. Energon trailed down his wings, coating Megatron’s claws as they dripped steadily to the floor below.

“You never learn, do you Starscream?” Megatron harshly questioned as Starscream’s optics flickered shut in a mixture of pain and disappointment. He held the Seeker up by his sensitive wings, aiming to cause a continuous strain of pain.

The seeker only winced in a reply, earning a swift kick from Megatron’s pede to his lower chassis, sending the Air Commander back against the wall.

“M-master,” Starscream begged, pausing to spit out energon pooling in his intake. “P-please, s-show mercy. It was an honest… miscalculation.” His breathing was labored as he sat looking up at his Master, optics half lidded.

Megatron raised a brow inquisitively. “And why, little Air Commander, should I show you mercy again? After all the failures you’ve brought upon this army?” He kneeled down, curling a claw beneath his chin, tilting Starscream’s helm up to look optic-to-optic. “Hmm?”

“I.. I’m still an asset, my L-lord. I can offer.. benefits.” He defended, leaning back against the wall as energon continued leaking out of various crevices throughout his body.

“Your air armada is easily replaceable.”

Megatron offered one look over the seeker, before standing up. “Pathetic.”

Starscream watched as heavy pedes walked out of the room, the shadow of the warlord disappearing behind the hisses of the shutting doors. He was alone. It hadn’t even been his fault this time- he listened to Megatron’s plan. He spoke out against the warlord, bringing to attention the faults in his plan. But he was ignored- and now the faults in Lord Megatron’s plan came to fruition and lost the precious energon reserves.

_It wasn’t even my fault_. He sobbed in silence, knowing that nobody would hear- or care. Soon, the energon loss caused the seeker to fall into a deep statis, protecting his systems to self-repair to the best of its ability.

* * *

Megatron had resided in his personal quarters, a cube of high grade clutched tightly in his servo. It was empty, soon to join the four other cubes on the floor. The warlord scowled, moving his other servo up to rub his faceplates.

_Why. Why does he make it so difficult?_

He hated the feelings. Hated the frustrations. Yeah, it was his plan. But Starscream had spoken up- it was _wrong_ to upstage his superior.

_Frag him_.

The servo tightened around the cube, shattering it into tiny little glass shards, littering the room as they danced down his chassis.

He still felt wrong. 

Megatron grunted and looked around his quarters. Perhaps it was the slight inebriation running through his systems, but the warlord felt a soft spot in his spark for the seeker. He looked across the rather large room, remember when the pair had often planned their battles, forging recharge for decisions and time together.

He pictured the excited young Vosian prince, pledging his allegiance with a gift to which the Warlord would use to threaten him. The fusion cannon was a significant reminder of the seeker’s “benefits”. Furthermore, what would the elite trine be without their leader? Skywarp’s teleportation powers were far too valuable.

Megatron stood up, stumbling on his pedes as he left his quarters, swinging from either side, struggling to hold himself straight. After five cubes of high grade, his processor was plagued with drunken stupor. The warlord made his way- slow, yet steady, towards the training room. Dummy parts littered the area, but a trail of energon caught his attention.

The room was pitch black, infrared vision coming on over his optics as he looked at the motionless mech in front of him, slumped over in a pool of energon. He raised a thumb cautiously to his cheek plate, wiping away a tear of coolant that dried beneath his optics. Megatron stared for longer than necessary, perhaps the overcharge caused him to lose focus.

Moving forward, he scooped up the slumped over mech, one servo secured under his neck plating, propping up his helm, the other holding behind his knee joints. He pressed him close to his chassis, lips pursed with a tinge of concern.

With a sigh of regret, his vents purred as he stood up, carrying his Second in Command away.

* * *

Starscream woke up in the med bay. Not an unusual occurrence for him. As his optics opened, the familiar sights and sounds of the busy medic had brought a source of comfort. He lolled his helm to the side, to which a red mech had quickly scurried over.

“Ah, Herr Kommandant, welcome back!” chipped Knockout, an all too arrogant smile on his face.

Starscream peered around as his processor had begun to catch him up. Looking down towards his chassis, he noted the scratches and wounds had been perfectly patched and polished, looking as good as new.

“Never underestimate me.” Knockout purred, “Every part of you looks absolutely stunning. Take it easy for the next few orns, yes?” He said as he strode off, listing unnecessary actions not to take that Starscream had never listened to. He tuned out his audials as Knockout walked away.

The seeker felt the uncomfortable tension aching through his limbs. Being in such a frigid state for long periods of time was painful for flight frames. Gritting his dentae, he swung his sky blue pedes off the medical berth, exventing as he felt his thrusters touch the cold tile. He swung the rest of his body, holding onto the berth as he regained balance. The Air Commander’s wings stretched out, reaching as high as they could with a good stretch. Looking over his frame, he noted the pristine buffing and polishing Knockout had down. Perhaps this would require a reward later.

As his processor centered and his balance was steady, he left the med bay in a matter of kliks, his pedes clicking against the cold, metal flooring of the Nemesis. He strutted down the hallway, encountering some Decepticon grunts who saluted his presence and scurried away. Starscream continued, his wings twitching in a feverish manner- requiring the fresh air.

Mechs generally were aware when their leader had inflicted a punishment upon Starscream, and this time was no different. However, Starscream noted a distinct lack of snickering. Though he snuffed it out quickly, it was not unusual for passing mechs to giggle at the wreck that became of their Second in Command. How pathetic.

He shook the thought off, approaching the significantly large door leading towards the flight deck. Opening automatically, Starscream took a big step out, lifting his arms up as his wings reached for the endless skies- fresh air soaking through every plating and wiring in his system. The Air Commander smiled and closed his optics as he took in the delicious comfort of fresh air.

Pedes clicking loudly as he strutted forward more, he swung around elegantly, testing out the flexibility of his frame. _Good as new_.

The air was brisk- yet clear. It was darkening. Starscream remembered that it was the season the fleshlings called _Autumn_. Days were shorter, air got colder, but less storms. It was his favorite season for flying in earth’s atmosphere.

Starscream proceeded to kneel, aiming to jump off the edge and descent into an effortless transformation sequence. With a quick leap, his pedes left the ground as he leapt off the edge, falling elegantly as his wings spread out. Free falling in a controlled twist, Starscream felt the pull of his frame against gravity, air soaring onto his vulnerabilities. With a grin that only he could feel, Starscream pulled up as he transformed into his signature alt form. Thrusters shot straight up as he barreled, soaring towards the endless sky. He passed the Nemesis, his speed unmatched by any other flight form.

* * *

Megatron swore he heard a laugh as he watched the tri coloured jet soar in his home. The skies and a seeker were inseparable. He always admired it, even if he did not understand it. Being a non-flier, Megatron never could understand the feelings a seeker could get, the wind and air against the wings. The pure ecstasy- stress melting away. He sat, hidden on the side of the flight deck. He knew that Starscream’s first action would be to take to the skies. It was typical. But he never noticed how free and happy he looked. Even without his faceplates, he could sense it even in the Air Commander’s alt form.

Propping his helm up with a servo, elbow join on his knee joint, Megatron stared as the jet had performed difficult- almost impossible, flight maneuvers like it was nothing. The twists, the turns, the drops- it amazed him. His Second was always a maestro in the air, and Cybertron’s best flier.

Several earth hours had passed, and Starscream continued his circles around the Nemesis. The sun had set by this point. Tonight had been a full moon. Starscream slowed down and transformed back into his root mode, gaining the attention of Megatron, _who had definitely not fallen into recharge, lulled to sleep by watching the beautiful seeker._

His optics widened as the seeker floated, hovering above the Nemesis flight deck. His colors weren’t seen as he covered the moon behind him, his entire silhouette shown. The soft glow of his optics, the Vosian prince red- was the only color he could see through the black silhouette.

Starscream slowly lowered himself to the deck, his pedes landing with a click as he kneeled down once again, letting out a loud exhale.

His helm sharply turned as the sound of clapping emerged from the shadows. He quickly jumped back in a fighting stance, holding up his nullray, glowing with anticipation as his faceplates shifted to a disgusting snarl.

“I have to say Starscream, your ability in the air always impresses me.”

Megatron walked out from the side, making his presence known with his voice before he could get a nullray shot to the chassis. His tone was seemingly lacking sarcasm, which knocked the Air Commander off guard. He lowered his nullray quickly.

“H-how long.. how long were you out here?” The Seeker questions defensively, stepping instinctively away from the leader.

“Long enough.” The Warlord replied. Starscream looked the silhouette up and down, before settling to look into those glowing crimson optics. Softened. He stood there, arms crossed. Starscream noted the distinct lack of fusion cannon.

“And how may I bother you with my existence today,” he curled into a devious grin, “ _Lord_ Megatron.” He bowed mockingly, rising up as he looked up at the Warlord. He felt safe in his territory. All Starscream needed was an astrosecond, and he could disappear into the endless depths of the sky.

Megatron had ignored the question entirely. “We have planning to do.” He paused, turning towards the door. “Come.”

Starscream sighed audibly but obediently followed, his shallow clicks echoing the large plants of his leader’s much more brutish pedes. His wings curled downstairs, hiding them from view as much as possible as he left the safe haven he felt comfortable in. Still, he didn’t disobey. It wouldn’t serve him well to end up in a med bay so soon after being dismissed.

* * *

The Air Commander had been so preoccupied in his thoughts that he hadn’t realized they approached Megatron’s personal quarters. He stopped, his processor freezing as Megatron waited impatiently on the other side of the door. Starscream looked at him, and for a moment Megatron saw a look of confusion and fear sweep over his faceplates, before the seeker quickly skipped inside, servos wrapped around himself protectively, wings practically hidden.

Megatron collapsed on the larger chair at the head of the table in front of him. Yes, Starscream had much familiarized himself here. The table in front of him was a common pre-planning stage that they both partook in; more often alone. But it had been a _long_ time.

Starscream stood awkwardly and defensively, slowly sliding to the chair by the Warlord’s right side. He was particularly tense. Megatron felt offended, but deep down he knew it was his fault; that stupid twinge of regret was back. He forced the thought- the feelings, to be locked away.

“From my understanding, you voiced concerns about my plan prior. Let’s start there.” He spoke, pulling a data pad out from his subspace and sliding it over to Starscream.

The seeker brushed the datapad over his claw tips, clicking it on as he silently reviewed the previously read plans.

“Ah.” He pursed, furrowing his look into the datapad as he read more intently.

After a few more kliks, Starscream set the datapad down. He swung the chair, staring at his leader as Megatron sat back, digits cupping his own chin. He listened intently to his lieutenant.

“Well. Your first issue is an assumption on the environment.” He spoke of how earth’s weather was often unpredictable, and as such he could not base a signal based on _clouds. Seriously how dumb was this mech_. Starscream had omitted that fact this time around. He pointed out the other flaws, including the overestimation of energon cubes a mech could subspace- not every mech was build as _bulky_ as the warlord.

The two sat in silence, as Starscream worked tirelessly on a revised plan. He spoke when citing Megatron’s mistakes and the improvements he could make and explained those improvements. The Warlord’s spark swelled with pride. Starscream was an intelligent mech- a scientist even. And it showed vividly. He missed these pre-planning sessions.

Starscream had been so invested in his current datapad, with seven sprawled around the table messily around him. He didn’t notice Megatron excusing himself to pour two cubes of high grade, and he especially didn’t notice when a black servo handed him a cube.

“Starscream.”

“Huh? What. I’m busy.” He noted, not even looking up. Megatron sighed and nudged the cube towards him, this time gaining the attention of his Second. “Oh.” He noticed, turning away from his datapad to hold the cube in his servos, twirling it around curiously to inspect it, being sure to not spill any of the precious high grade. “Thanks..” He muttered softly, still suspicious. He watched Megatron with a curled brow, optic raised as the warlord brought the cube to his lips and drank. Starscream replicated the action. He took a break to savor the cube, leaning back against the chair as his optics lidded. He hadn’t enjoyed the refined taste of luxury high grade in vorns.

They drank in silence, and the tension melted away.

Within a joor, Starscream had finished his cube and datapad. With a triumphant “Hmph!”, he gathered the datapads and began organizing them. He took a final datapad from his subspace, and began summarizing the plan down. He smiled and held it out proudly to Megatron, beaming.

The warlord grabbed it, wary of his Commander’s eager ego. However, he was impressed at the results. The strategy was completely solid- if not better than his own. _His plans were always efficient_ he reminded himself.

“I approve.” He nodded, setting it down as Starscream subspaced the rest of the datapads.

“Really? No arguments?”

“As far as I can tell, this plan is sufficient for our needs and has a high chance of success. I’ll run it by Soundwave tomorrow-“

“Hah! I knew you’d like it!” The red seeker beamed and giggled. Megatron did not seem to recall the sensitivity flight frames had to high grade, and their low tolerance led to an easy overcharge. Starscream, despite his competence, preened himself on the singular plan. Megatron noted the relaxed mech had spread his wings high, less defensive. They flickered softly.

The grey mech cleared his vocalizer. “I apologize for the other night.” He spoke solemnly.

“S’okay. I’m used to it.” Starscream shrugged as he lifted his legs to the table, slinging them across one another as they crossed. He leaned back and sighed contently. “No matter if I do something right or wrong, you’ll just beat the scrap out of me.” He laughed loudly now. “Kinda funny don’t you think Megatron?” He looked towards him as the seeker opened up, rather uncomfortable at the forwardness and- truthfulness even, of his inebriated seeker. “I can do anything- everything you want. Just to get your approval and you’ll still hate me!” He laughed again. “No matter what I do.” He paused, just long enough for Megatron to intervene.

“I don’t hate you.” He said, at least sure of that fact.

“Me neither.” The seeker purred out.

Megatron couldn’t contain the swell in his spark. Starscream just felt content and nearly comfortable.

* * *

After a few kliks of silence, Megatron was certain the seeker had fallen into recharge. He mirrored his actions from the previous night, bending down to pick up the seeker. However, this time he gently held his body vertically parallel to his own. His servos captured the lithe waist and clutched him.

Starscream wasn’t fully in recharge and Megatron heard his vents hitch in response to being grabbed. Starscream purred in his audials. “Stayyyy. Please?” The seeker’s thin claws wrapped tightly around his leader’s broad back in an embrace.

The Warlord sighed, unsure of whether to submit to the needs of the subservient seeker.

He slowly pulled the smaller frame away from him, sitting down on his berth. Starscream curled around his waist, wings tucked up against his sides. His optics remained closed. “You don’t hate me?” He asked.

“No, Starscream. I don’t.”

“Do you remember Vos?” The seeker asked, and Megatron looked down, surprised at the question.

“I do.”

“I used to be the prince.”

“I know,” Megatron paused. “You still are.” Starscream’s vents purred in response. Megatron’s claw tenderly ran down his second’s faceplates. If this was his means of repenting for the guilt felt in his spark, it was working.

“I wanna go back.” Starscream whispered. There was no back. Vos had been destroyed. But Starscream still held tightly onto the memories. “You will, one day, little Prince. I will keep my promise I made to you.” Starscream shifted contently again, vents exhaling loudly as his wings twitched. He had promised the Air Commander that Vos would be rebuilt. Millions of years ago, he remembered the emotional seeker. Alone in his quarters, Starscream had cried. And cried. For joors over his lost state. His creators- although he despised them- had perished stubbornly.

“I miss my trine.” He uttered softly, choking up. He felt fluids building up in his optics, but could not control as they fell down his faceplates. Megatron shifted as he pulled the Seeker up, his helm resting against his chassis as Megatron’s claws delicately wiped away the tears falling down his faceplates.

“They’ll be back soon,” Megatron reassured. “They’re safe, you know that.” He reaffirmed the seeker, reminding him of their placement on Cybertron to assist Shockwave. Although it was against his better judgement to separate a trine, Skywarp’s teleportation powers were essential for Shockwave’s progress, and Thundercracker was better off with Skywarp to control him. Starscream had to remain behind. They departure left him irritable and moody- more than normal.

“They miss me too. I can feel it.” Megatron said nothing to that- he was unaware of the depth that trine bonds ran. He simply ran his claws down the back of the lithe seeker in front of him soothingly. Starscream choked a couple more times as several more tears fell.

“You’ll be together soon.” Megatron reminded him. His voice was deep and husky as Starscream’s spark twirled in circles.

“I don’t hate you..” Starscream whispered, his vents slowing as he finally approached recharge. Megatron nodded, silent to coax the Air Commander to sleep. “You care about me?” The lithe frame asked finally.

“Very much Starscream.” He admitted, and the content little seeker fell into a deep recharge. Megatron smiled down at the sight in front of him. He wondered how much he would remember the next cycle. He leaned against the back of the berth, falling asleep upright, _cuddling_ the thin seeker on his chest. Primus forbid.

* * *

Megatron’s chronometer woke him up before Starscream. The seeker probably had slept right through it. He was in the same position, although he noticed the Air Commander was considerably more attached to him, arms wrapped possessively around his neck, and his helm was propped beneath the warlord’s chin. The steady sounds of his vents reminded Megatron of the gentility Starscream could possess.

Half a joor later he felt the seeker shift in his arms, hearing his body come awake from recharge.

Starscream flickered his eyes open. He wasn’t startled, in fact, his processor did manage to capture what had happened. He remembered, even though he was deeply embarrassed. When Starscream was overcharged, he let down his personal defense walls. _Frag._

He lifted slightly out of the grasp, his legs straddled around Megatron’s waist and his wings flickered tellingly. He gazed at his leader, who replicated the look. Starscream felt his emotional vulnerabilities drain away. He felt comfortable.

“I missed this.” He pursed, faceplates blushing as he broke the optic contact briefly. Megatron lifted his chin with his servo, forcing him optic level.

“Me too.” He agreed. He leaned it, closing his optics as he pressed his lips to his Seconds’. Starscream gasps and reciprocated, lolling his head to the side as his wings flickered out happily, clutching tightly to his chassis.

“I care about you too.” Starscream hastily broke the kiss, and whispered softly.

The warlord offered a rare smile, and leaned in to steal another kiss from his Seeker.


End file.
